Okay, so it’s been a week since we all came back from the Winnipeg Folk Festival…but don’t we all wish we were back there already?
This year I decided to try joining the bike ride to birds hill park. I hadn’t ever biked that far of a distance, never-mind on the highway, but with a record breaking 225 folkies cycling at my side I felt pretty safe and excited. We could not have asked for a better ride out (though I had to be literally dragged from my bed at 5:30am!), perfect weather, amazing volunteer organizers, the RCMP helping us travel through the scary spots, first access passageway into the campground?! Pure bliss.
Ride organizer Anna Weier (formerly with Natural Cycle), hopes to expand the ride again next year depending on what can be accommodated safely – 225 cyclists is a lot to ride on the highway with, but they are working on it!
One thing that was brought to my attention is the discussion around new infrastructure on HWY-59:
“If you’ve travelled along Hwy 59 near Birds Hill Park, you are probably aware that an active transportation (AT) bridge is being built to cross Hwy 59. This $3 million bridge is part of the Red River Floodway trails initiative. The bridge connects a 5K paved multi-use pathway build along the Birds Hill town side of the floodway to the trail system in Birds Hill Provincial Park … and the soon to be developed trail system on the Red River Floodway.
There is an increasing desire / need to connect Winnipeg (via the Northeast Pioneers Greenway) safely over the Perimeter Hwy to the town of Birds Hill trail system, Birds Hill Provincial Park, and the Red River Floodway trails system. With multi million dollar trail investments to the north and south of the Perimeter, it is logical to make a safe connection over the Perimeter Hwy linking these significant trail investments. There is an opportunity to make this connection as part of the scope of the $80 to $100 million Hwy 59 & Perimeter Hwy interchange project.” – Bike to the Future Blog
I don’t know about any other riders out there, but I sure would have appreciated a safe bike path all the way out to birds hill park. Overall, I was surprised at how short the ride seemed and am already thinking of other places to travel by bike…next stop ideas anyone?
